New Perspectives
by simplyemrontrash
Summary: Somehow, by a miracle of God himself and a few glasses of good liquor, she had worked up the courage to kiss Aaron Shore. A two-perspective Emron fic written by Tumblr users @designatedtrash (Emily) and @aaron-emily (Aaron).
1. Chapter 1a

Aaron tossed and turned, but to no avail. Is mind was racing almost as fast as his heart. Resting his hands behind his head, he began to absorb his thoughts. It was 2 a.m. and he couldn't sleep. He had arrived home from work wanting nothing more than to get some rest, but now he couldn't be more awake. He couldn't get the events of the day out of his mind. Not the perpetual political whirlwind that he was always caught up in, but something different. Just hours before, he had kissed Emily Rhodes. It wasn't a dream. He knew this because the concept of sleep seemed as far away as ever.

He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. He did remember that it was him who glanced at her lips. Did that mean that he had initiated the kiss? The was the one who technically leaned in, but she wouldn't have if he hadn't given her some kind of sign. Had he kissed Emily Rhodes, or had Emily Rhodes kissed him? This was the question that had been haunting him.

He turned his body around so that his face was buried in a pillow. He remained in that position for a few seconds before he needed to come up for air. He then shifted onto his side. He opened his eyes and stared straight into the wall as if the answers to all of his questions could be found there if he looked hard enough. He usually wasn't one for statements like these, but he knew that he loved her. He didn't have a single doubt. What he longed to know was what he was to her. He was sure that she knew.

The kiss has been a confession for him. He didn't hold back. He had tried as hard as he could to tell her just how much she meant to him through one kiss. Was that possible? He recalled every moment in his head. First, he had glanced at her lips. She had then leaned in and softly kissed him. He had quickly deepened the kiss, which seemed to excite her because that's when she changed their positions and placed her hand on his jaw. He ran a hand through his hair, knowing that reliving the movement would cause him nothing but pain.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at his door. In nothing but sweatpants, he dragged himself out of bed and walked to the front door. He heard a few more firm knocks and swung the door open, ready to tell whoever it was to leave him alone at 2:30 a.m. His eyes went wide when the eyes that met his belonged to none other than Emily Rhodes.


	2. Chapter 1b

Emily laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling. She'd been lying still with her eyes closed for almost an hour, silently praying for sleep to come, but with no such luck. Sleep deprivation added to her alcohol intake should have made it easy. Apparently not. The only thing on her mind was the kiss.

Somehow, by a miracle of God himself and a few glasses of good liquor, she had worked up the courage to kiss Aaron Shore. Emily's lips still tingled from the experience. Every single second of it was permanently engraved in her mind. The electric feeling she felt in all the places his fingers had touched, how he'd grinned against her lips after his hands at her waist caused her to gasp. Just the mere thought of it all sent shivers up her spine. She wished he'd do those things more often.

Emily was beginning to get lost in all of those little fantasies in her head, until a more realistic thought arose: What did this mean for their future?

Dating, especially in Washington, was a conflict of interest more times than not, especially when you worked as close together as she and Aaron did. Her heart was telling her that kissing him had been the best decision she'd made in quite a while, but her head wasn't so sure. They were both at least half-way drunk when it happened.

What if she didn't even remember it the next morning?

No, she'd remember it. Something like that was too good to forget.

But what if he'd forgotten it?

No, she knew Aaron. He could hold his liquor and she sensed that he'd wanted it as much, if not more, than she did, if that was even possible.

However, the question still remained: What did this mean for them? It was no secret anymore that they wanted each other. As soon as their lips touched they went for it, not stopping until they were both out of breath. But what would they do with that knowledge?

She figured there was only one way to find out. She had to ask him herself.

The liquid courage from earlier was still in Emily's system, and if things didn't work out the way she wanted them to, the alcohol would be easy to blame. Throwing a hoodie and sweatpants on, she mentally prepared herself. Despite having planned out exactly what she was going to say during the drive over to his apartment, her mind blanked when she arrived at his door. She didn't even give herself time to reconsider, taking a quick deep breath and knocking on the door.

The door opened and his eyes widened after seeing her standing there.

"Emily?"


	3. Chapter 2a

"Emily?" He said, his face becoming sheet white.

"Hey," she said with an all-too-normal smile.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" He asked, as the wave of fatigue that he'd been longing for for hours finally hit him.

"You could at least try to look a little more excited to see me," she said with another friendly smile. He wondered if she knew what time it was.

"No, sorry, it's just, it's 2 a.m and here you are," he said huskily, still groggy.

"I know, I was just kidding."

"Seriously, though. What are you doing here?"

Aaron had been thinking about her for hours on end, and now she was standing at his door with everything but a reason. He noticed that she was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. He'd only ever seen her in work attire. She looked different. She looked calm. He felt her eyes running up his bare chest and quickly became aware that he was wearing nothing but sweatpants. He quickly crossed his arms in a failed attempt to hide his partial nudity as he waited for her reply.

"Well," she said as she wringed her hands. "I've been doing some thinking, and," she stopped. Aaron waited for her to continue, but heard nothing.

"And?"

Emily took in a deep breath before abruptly stepping forward, grabbing his face and kissing him.

Quickly snapping out of his is-this-a-dream trance, he felt her balance faltering so he grabbed her elbows to steady her. He clumsily walked them back into his apartment, slamming the door behind them with his foot. As she regained balance, he placed his hands on her hips.

Just as Aaron began to deepen the kiss, Emily abruptly pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes.

"What does that mean to you?" she breathed.

Aaron squinted and shook his head, just about as confused as a man could be.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Do you want to be with me?" she demanded.

He raised his eyebrows and looked at her as if she had just asked the most obvious question in the world. Feeling a gust of confidence take over him, he knew of only one way to respond to a question such as that one. He grabbed her face and brought his lips to hers, just as she had done to him. He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed.

"Of course I want to be with you," he breathed against her lips. He felt a shiver go down her spine and tried not to smile at the effect he had on her.

Instead of responding, she stared into his eyes as though she was searching for confirmation that the answer he had just provided was sincere. When she seemed to reach that conclusion, her balance weakened and he quickly caught her elbows once again.

"Whoa, Em, are you okay?" he asked, still holding her up.

"Yeah," she sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking at the floor. "I'm just exhausted. That's all."

Aaron searched his mind for a solution that didn't involve an innuendo. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that he wanted nothing more than to take advantage of her.

"Well, you're in absolutely no condition to drive home. You can sleep here."

She let out something between a giggle and a chuckle. He blushed, knowing the basis of what she was opening her mouth to say.

"Aaron Shore, are you inviting me to bed?" Emily teased.

"Looks like it," he sighed sarcastically, lifting her up bridal-style and walking her to his bedroom. He desperately tried to hide his blush as he playfully tossed her onto his bed, crawling in after her. He found his place on his normal side of the bed as she nuzzled into his chest as if she'd done it a million times before. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. As he felt her breathing slow while she drifted into sleep, he placed gentle kisses up and down her jaw as she sighed in content. Suddenly, Aaron was able to fall asleep without the slightest bit of trouble.


	4. Chapter 2b

"Hey," she said, offering her best "it's-2:30-in-the-morning-we're-both-slightly-drunk-and-i-just-showed-up-at-your-door" smile.

"Hey. What-what are you doing here?" he stammered, obviously very tired and very confused.

"You could at least try to look a little more excited to see me," she joked.

"No, sorry, it's just, it's 2 a.m and here you are."

"I know, I was just kidding."

"Seriously, though. What are you doing here?"

"Well," she sighed, wringing her hands. "I've been doing some thinking, and," her voice trailed off.

"And?"

She took another deep breath before rushing forward, grabbing his face, and kissing him. Aaron stumbled back into his apartment, taking her with him while holding onto her elbows to steady her. His hands went to her hips and she could have gotten lost in the feeling, but she remembered what she'd come to do.

"What does that mean to you?" she breathlessly demanded, abruptly pulling away and looking him in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked, it was obvious that it was too late at night to be asking these questions, but she needed answers.

"Do you want to be with me?"

Aaron looked at her like she was crazy, then switched positions, taking her face between his hands and gently pressing his lips to hers. They both leaned into it until their foreheads touched, and her fingers curled around his wrists.

"Of course, I want to be with you." he muttered against her lips.

She didn't respond, instead staring into his mesmerizingly dark eyes until her eyes fluttered and her balance unintentionally faltered. He quickly grabbed her elbows to steady her again, looking immediately concerned.

"Whoa, Em, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed, pulling a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm just exhausted. That's all."

"Well, you're in absolutely no condition to drive home. You can sleep here."

She slightly chuckled.

"Aaron Shore, are you inviting me to bed?" Emily teased.

"Looks like it." he sighed, picking her up bridal-style and carrying her to the bed.

Normally, she would have been opposed to this, her stubbornness telling her that she

was fine to walk on her own. However, even the most stubborn parts of her had to confess that she enjoyed it. She wasn't sure she would be able to walk on her own anyways.

Emily had no problem finding a comfortable position, fitting almost perfectly into his side,

as if she was made to do that. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as she buried her head in his chest. She had to admit, this wasn't how she'd expected the night to end. With Aaron planting gentle kisses up and down her jaw, causing her to happily sigh as she drifted off into sleep. She wasn't complaining, in fact, this was something Emily could definitely get used to.


	5. Chapter 3a

A shirtless Aaron Shore woke up freezing. He felt around his bed for the figure he had fallen asleep with, but there was no any sign of her. His heart dropped to his stomach. He then heard some rustling in the bathroom and Emily walked out.

"Morning sleepyh-" her eyes widened. "Or should I say bedhead," she grinned, crossing her arms and chucking at him.

"We're gonna be late for work," she declared. "Kirkman's gonna wonder where I am."

Aaron rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his curls.

"Nuh uh. Come here," he said, patting the Emily-shaped dent in the comforter.

"Aaron-" she began.

He picked up his phone from his bedside table and glanced at it.

"Emily, we have over an hour including the time it will take to go to your place to get clothes."

"That's not true," she said, looking at her watch.

"Daylight savings," they said in perfect unison.

Aaron looked up to meet a grinning Emily crawling back into the bed. He watched as she crawled on top of him and straddled him, lowering her face so that her lips captured his. He quickly caught on and grabbed her waist so that she was now laying on top of him as she let out a little squeal.

"Hi," he whispered up at her, suddenly shy.

"Hi," she said, cocking her head.

Aaron then had an evil idea. He sneakily walked his hands up to her arms and quickly began to tickle her. Laughing, she fell to the side of him and began to kick and thrash. Determined to win, Aaron switched their positions so that he was now straddling her and in full control.

"I surrender!" she screamed.

He stopped.

"Good," he said contently.

"Just kidding!" she declared, tickling his bare torso. He didn't budge.

"I'm not ticklish," he said, smugly.

"Oh," she said, plopping herself back down next to him in disappointment.

He turned to look at her. She was uncharacteristically giddy, but then again, so was he.

"I've wanted this for so long," he whispered, playing with her hair. There was a pause.

"When did you know?"

"Know what?" he inquired.

"That you wanted to be with me."

He took a deep breath and thought for a moment.

"I think it was gradual. It was all those conversations we had at the beginning of Kirkman's presidency, where you would stand tall and assert your opinion, quite aggressively I might add," he chuckled. "I think that's when I finally let myself want you."

He felt her rubbing his cheek with the pad of her thumb.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Michigan. That's when I realized it."

"Wow. I guess my flirty texts payed off," he joked.

"Shut up," she scolded, playfully hitting his chest.

He melted back into the mattress as she rested her head on his chest.


	6. Chapter 3b

Waking up the next morning was strange. Emily had imagined doing a lot of things in Aaron's bed, but waking up in it fully clothed was not one of them. There was also no headache to prove that she'd been drinking the night before, which lead her to believe for a split second that it had all been a dream. That was, until she felt Aaron underneath her. Emily's hand splayed across his bare chest where her head was also resting.

She rolled out of bed, carefully, as not to wake him up. It proved to be futile because as soon as Emily closed the bathroom door, she could hear him stirring. All she did was stare in the mirror and marvel at how much of a mess she looked like before walking out.

"Morning sleepyh-" she paused noticing his disheveled curls. "Or should I say bedhead,"

She couldn't help but laugh as she folded her arms over her chest.

"We're gonna be late for work. Kirkman's gonna wonder where I am." she stated.

She watched as Aaron rubbed the sleep from his eyes and ran his fingers through his already messy hair.

"Nuh uh. Come here." he said, patting the empty place where she had slept.

"Aaron-" she sighed.

Emily loved playing hard to get, even though she wasn't. Not when it was him who was trying to get her. She grinned at Aaron's ever so slight frustration while he checked his phone on the bedside table.

"Emily, we have over an hour including the time it will take to go to your place to get clothes."

"That's not true," she said, checking her watch.

"Daylight savings," they said at the exact same time.

Feeling giddy, Emily grinned again crawled back into bed. She straddled him, lowering her face to meet his lips as her hair fell over both of them, creating a dark curtain separating them from the rest of reality. Oh yeah, she could definitely get used to this. Emily couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd been this happy. What she and Aaron had was something she'd always wanted. However, she was quickly snapped out of her blissful daydream state by Aaron pulling her down to where she was now practically laying on top of him.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi,"

She felt his hands slide up her arms and all of a sudden begin to tickle her. She rolled off of him and began thrashing about while laughing. Aaron straddled her, now in full control.

"I surrender," she screamed between laughter.

He stopped.

"Good."

"Just kidding," she exclaimed, attempting to tickle him back. Aaron didn't even budge.

"I'm not ticklish," he explained with a smug look on his face.

"Oh," Emily said, only slightly disappointed, before sitting back down next to him.

She was incredibly giddy, which wasn't like her at all, but when happy moments in life were as few and far between as they were for her, giddiness was inevitable.

"I've wanted this for so long," he whispered, messing with a piece of her hair.

"When did you know?" she asked, breaking the silence that had followed his confession.

"Know what?"

"That you wanted to be with me."

He paused, deep in thought. It wasn't an easy question after all.

"I think it was gradual. It was all those conversations we had at the beginning of Kirkman's presidency, where you would stand tall and assert your opinion, quite aggressively I might add," he said, with a small laugh. "I think that's when I finally let myself want you."

She absentmindedly rubbed his cheek with her thumb.

"What about you?"

For her, it was a bit easier to pinpoint where her true feelings for him had started. She had always thought he was attractive, from the moment they'd met, but she also had thought he was a bit of a jerk, so it was nothing more than physical attraction. That was, until she'd gone to Michigan. Aaron hadn't liked the idea in the slightest, which had puzzled her at the beginning, but she realized his true reasoning when he called her upon landing. He cared about her. Immediately after that, Aaron's brutish facade began to crumble, being replaced by the man she knew and loved.

"Michigan. That's when I realized it."

"Wow. I guess my flirty texts payed off,"

"Shut up," she scolded, playfully hitting his chest.

Aaron laid back down on the bed as she once again rested her head on his chest. She sighed in content, knowing that even though they'd have to get up eventually, they could enjoy this one perfect moment together.


End file.
